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Top in-state prep prospect Daniel Freitag headed to California for senior year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:33 GMT

Daniel Freitag, one of the best two-sport athletes in the state of Minnesota, will finish his high school career in California.Freitag said Wednesday he will transfer from Bloomington Jefferson High School to Southern California Academy in Northridge, Calif., for his senior year in 2023-24.Freitag, who plays point guard in basketball and wide receiver in football, has received scholarship offers in both sports from the Gophers and many other major programs.Listed at 6 foot 2 and 175 pounds, Freitag is considered a four-star basketball prospect and the No. 1 prospect in Minnesota for the 2024 class, per 247Sports. He is a three-star football recruit and the fourth-best player in the state for next year’s class.Southern California Academy has a basketball team but no football team. Despite that, Freitag told KSTP-TV that football “is still very much in play at the next level.”Related ArticlesCollege Sports | Gophers men’s basketball got transfer win but still ha...

Twins expect pitch clock to reduce wear and tear

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:33 GMT

MIAMI — Twins catcher Christian Vázquez was still catching his breath Tuesday night when he met the media to talk about Kenta Maeda’s first pitching start in 19 months.“That’s why I’m tired,” Vázquez said of the game, which lasted just 1 hour, 57 minutes. “It was quick. Under two hours.”Yes it was, even for the pitch clock era. The clock, introduced this year, has sped games along, testing players’ conditioning. But in shortening games by about 26 minutes — that per spring training data —  the Twins expect the clock will also provide physical benefits for players.There is a 15-second pitch timer now for pitchers with the bases empty. It bumps up to 20 seconds when there are runners on base. If a pitcher has not begun his motion by that point, he will be charged with an automatic ball. Batters must be in the box and facing the pitcher at the eight-second mark. A violation means an automatic strike is added to the count.“It’s pretty drastic,” catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “Ye...

Crossing with Dignity Act in the works

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:33 GMT

The Crossing with Dignity Act was brought to attention by Councilwoman Gabriella Romero. The act hopes to add an extra layer of protection to those walking the streets of Albany."The result of this legislation, which would remove our reliance on the pedestrian actuation devices, and give an automatic pedestrian signal at every intersection," explained Romero.Pedestrian actuation devices, or 'beg buttons,' are devices near intersections that create a safe time for pedestrians to cross. Councilman Owusu Anane sees removing the requirement, but not the use of the buttons, as a way to make the city of Albany more accessible to everyone."We want to make sure that individuals, particularly with disability in the urban community, don't have to push a button just to cross a street," said Anane.Drivers are being told to not worry about the timing of future rides. For vehicles traveling through intersections, the impact to commute time is determined to be minimal."If no one pressed that butto...

Five people in one trailer died when a tornado sucked it away

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:33 GMT

BOLLINGER COUNTY, Mo. - A tornado left a miles-long path of destruction that took the lives of five people in an instant around 3 a.m. Wednesday. Tearful relatives stood at the site of what was once a trailer in Bollinger County.One man, who did not want to be identified, detailed finding his five loved ones, who’d been swept away far from their home, and that he even had last words with one of them. He said two of the victims were 18 and 15 years old.Search and rescue efforts continue in the area now being toured by Missouri Governor Mike Parson. Even the nearby house is gone, with the roof tossed to the next lot over and the foundation unrecognizable. The tornado’s hit on emergency personnel added to the challenge of the urgent search and clean-up.“…seven neighbors, you don’t know where they are; four of them are missing," said David McCormick, a storm survivor.On Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement confirmed five deaths, five injuries, and 87 damaged buildings, 12 of which were ...

Irvine dermatologist indicted after allegedly poisoning her husband with drain cleaner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:33 GMT

An Irvine woman who works as a dermatologist has been indicated she allegedly poisoned her husband over several weeks with liquid drain cleaner last year, officials announced Wednesday.Yue “Emily” Yu, 45, is accused of pouring the liquid into her husband’s tea, which caused him to have stomach ulcers, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.Yu was arrested last summer after her husband began noticing a strange taste in his tea. The taste continued and he decided to install cameras in the family’s kitchen to see if he could capture any evidence of why his tea tasted strange, officials said. Images of Irvine woman allegedly poisoning husband released; restraining order filed Video captured on July 11, July 18 and July 25 showed Yu pouring a liquid out of a bottle of drain cleaner and into her husband’s tea that was left on the counter.The victim also collected samples of the tea and turned them over to the Irvine Police Department, officials said. The samples were ...

3 people found dead in downtown Los Angeles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:33 GMT

Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating after three people were found dead downtown on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.  The discovery was made in the 600 block of Wall Street, between 6th and 7th streets, after first responders with the Los Angeles Fire Department received a call, at around 3:15 p.m., reporting three people who were not conscious or breathing.  All three victims were declared dead at the scene. While the exact cause of death is unknown at this time, Nicholas Prange, LAFD Public Information Officer, said the deaths may be the result of a possible drug overdose. Officers with LAPD on the scene, in the 600 block of Wall Street in downtown L.A., after three people were discovered dead on April 5, 2023. (KTLA)Crews with LAFD responded to the exact same location Tuesday night, at around 10:30 p.m., after receiving calls of a possible overdose victim. Paramedics were able to provide care to that victim, who regained consciousness and d...

Drug trafficking charges against long-time San Jose Police union’s executive director raise oversight questions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:33 GMT

SAN JOSE — The bombshell federal drug trafficking charges filed last week against the executive director of the San Jose Police union are prompting critical questions about how the long-time officer manager was able for years to run the alleged opioid smuggling scheme right under the noses of police in America’s tenth largest city.Joanne Segovia, 64, faces drug-trafficking charges and 20 years in prison for the decade-long opioid and fentanyl distribution network that she reportedly ran through her home and the San Jose Police Officers’ Association office where she has been the executive director since 2003. She was arrested last week as part of an ongoing Homeland Security investigation into the drug ring that shipped illegal and dangerous drugs from abroad through the Bay Area and to the rest of the United States.“It’s like Breaking Bad, San Jose Edition,” said Raj Jayadev, a police reform activist with Silicon Valley Debug. “To have an international drug circle ...

Athletics’ rally to tie on Aguilar’s epic eighth-inning home run, but fall in 10 to Guardians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:33 GMT

OAKLAND — Athletics designated hitter Jesus Aguilar wasn’t interested in reliving one of the most epic at-bats you’ll ever see in the aftermath of a 6-4, 10-inning loss Wednesday to the Cleveland Guardians.The A’s had done nothing and trailed 4-0 in the eighth until Ryan Noda led off with a solo home run to right off relief pitcher Nick Sandlin. Sandlin got the next two outs, giving way to Tim Herrin.Herrin walked the next two batters. Aguilar fell behind 0-2 and eventually worked the count to 2-2. He fouled off seven pitches in all, and finally on the 12th-pitch of the at-bat, launched a three-run game-tying home run left center.The next hitter, Seth Brown, nearly made it back-to-back home runs for a 5-4 A’s lead but his drive to center was caught at the fence by Myles Straw.“No one cares,” Aguilar said. “We want to win. It was good, but it wasn’t good enough. It’s not about me.”A’s shortstop Nick Allen strande...

Russian official charged with war crimes over Ukraine children

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:33 GMT

By Edith M. Lederer | Associated PressUNITED NATIONS — Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, who is being sought for war crimes for deporting children from Ukraine, told a U.N. meeting Wednesday that the children were taken for their safety and Moscow is coordinating with international organizations to return them to their families.Ambassadors from Western countries boycotted the informal U.N. Security Council meeting, sending low-level diplomats instead. Diplomats from the United States, Britain, Albania and Malta walked out when the commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, started to address the meeting by video link.The International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for her and Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing them of abducting children from Ukraine.Russia, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month, called the meeting to counter what it claims is disinformation about the Ukrainian children.U.S. Ambassador Linda ...

Brentwood identifies officer who shot suspect in armed hostage situation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:33 GMT

BRENTWOOD — The city of Brentwood has identified the police officer who fired his service weapon during a hectic armed hostage situation that has resulted in the suspect being charged with 15 felonies.The officer was identified as Jordan Matthew Sares, through a public records request filed by this news organization.Sares has been with Brentwood police since 2014, has worked as a violent crimes detective, and before working at Brentwood was a Contra Costa sheriff’s deputy for two years, according to public records. Court records indicate Sares has never been sued in federal or Contra Costa Superior Court.Sares shot and wounded Joshua Dion Smith, 30, during a March 12 incident at an apartment complex on Sycamore Avenue in Brentwood. Police said at the time that Smith was holding an estranged girlfriend hostage, and that he fired at officers, prompting Sares to return fire.Both Smith and his alleged victim, identified only as Jane Doe in court records, were wounded in the ...